A New Jersey board of education reversed its decision to remove holiday names from the school calendar after members of the public voiced disapproval over the move.
The Randolph Board of Education voted 8-1 Monday to restore holiday names to the school calendar, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Columbus Day, after it voted earlier in June to call every other holiday a “day off,” with no mention of the actual holiday name.
“It’s not only insulting, but it sends the wrong message to our students … We should be teaching our children the importance of these dates,” one resident said during the public comment section of the meeting.
The board meeting Monday lasted nearly four hours and included comments from around 50 local residents voicing their opinion on the matter. Most residents who spoke out were in favor of restoring the holidays to the calendar, though one person suggested Columbus Day should be renamed “Italian Heritage Day.”
NEW JERSEY SCHOOL DISTRICT REMOVES ALL HOLIDAY NAMES FROM CALENDAR TO AVOID ‘HURT FEELS’
An online petition emerged prior to the vote that called for Superintendent Jennifer Fano and members of the board of education to resign, gaining thousands of signatures.
The board should reconsider the previous vote that removed the holidays from the calendar, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday, adding pressure against the now-reversed decision.
Board members voted to amend the motion to include sending the school calendar to a committee for review and gather input from the community through a survey.
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The Washington Examiner contacted the school district but did not immediately receive a response.
